Wildest Dreams
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Pre-series, slightly AU. Richard and Emily meet for the first time and nothing really goes as expected.


Author's Note: Yes, this is another story inspired by a Taylor Swift song. I'm not sorry. Because listening to this awesome song, this story was all I could think of. And now I've FINALLY written it, dedicated to my wonderful friend Rachel, because she deserves it.

**Wildest Dreams**

When Emily Ashford met Richard Gilmore, she knew what she was in for. She knew his reputation of being something of a playboy. She knew he had a tendency to get in trouble and charm his way out. And she knew he was the kind of man who could get anything he wanted. She had known men like that before and it hadn't impressed her. It had done the opposite, in fact; she usually found men like that to be insincere and a waste of her time.

So why was Richard Gilmore different? Perhaps it was because Sweetie had warned her not to do anything rash. Perhaps it was because Robert had broken up with her that morning. Perhaps it was the angry phone call she had received from her father, asking what he was paying her tuition for if she wasn't going to spend her time making the family proud. Or perhaps it was just because Richard Gilmore was just so tall and handsome as hell.

Emily had worn a blue dress to the fraternity party at Yale that night. Blue always went so nicely with her auburn hair. The dress was shorter than she usually felt comfortable in, and it was much more low cut than anything she would normally wear in public. But she didn't care. For once in her proper life, Emily reveled in being stared at, being admired, being desired.

Richard saw her walk in to the party and dropped the beer he had been holding. He ignored the fact that all his friends were making fun of his gawking. He instead floated over to where Emily stood.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, his voice much steadier than he felt.

Emily's eyes narrowed. "Are you a good dancer, Mr. Gilmore?"

"You know my name?" Richard was somewhat taken aback.

"Of course. Everyone here knows your name. You're Richard Gilmore," she replied matter-of-factly.

"I'm afraid I don't know your name, and I must say I'd like to." His lips curled up into a charming grin.

"Emily Ashford." Her entire body grew hot when he pressed his lips to the back of her hand. "But you didn't answer my question. Are you a good dancer? Because I don't want to waste my time getting my feet stepped on by a man with bad rhythm."

"I am quite a good dancer, I promise I will not step on your feet, and I guarantee I have incredible rhythm."

He said those words with an air of innuendo about them, causing Emily to blush slightly. "Very well then. Yes, I would like to dance."

Richard took her hand and led her to the dance floor. He took her in his arms and led her into a simple foxtrot. She moved with grace and experience, and the way her body melted into his made him wish they were alone in an empty room.

Emily was pleased that Richard had told the truth. He was a very good dancer. It was rare that she ever got to dance with someone who was actually good. Having been trained in ballet from a young age, Emily loved to dance and loved anytime she could do so with a competent partner. But beyond his dancing ability, there was something about Richard Gilmore. There was something about the way he held her that made Emily feel like taking a risk.

After two more dances, Richard whispered in her ear, "Let's get out of here."

"And go where?" she replied. He had bent his head low to reach her height, and she liked that he had to make the effort to get his face close to hers.

"Let's drive out of the city. Away from the crowds. Let's spend the weekend in a small hotel in the woods." Richard didn't know what possessed him to say such a thing. No respectable woman would agree to that, especially one who had just met him.

Emily was initially appalled at the proposition. She opened her mouth to retort angrily, but something stopped her. Her lips curled into a seductive smirk and her dark eyes flashed. She could see the end of this situation, with Richard Gilmore walking out of her life forever, but maybe she could have some fun before it got to that. "Alright. Let's go."

Richard was shocked at her response, but it intrigued and delighted him. He took her hand and led her out of the party and to his car. He opened the door to the passenger side for her, and she hesitated for a fraction of a second before getting in. They drove for over an hour before finally reaching a tiny cabin in the middle of the woods.

"Where are we?" Emily asked, speaking for the first time since getting in the car. They had been listening to the radio, not speaking to each other. She had passed the time staring out the window into the darkness, silently panicking over her decision to join this man she had barely met into the middle of nowhere.

Richard put the car in park and turned to face her. "Bear Mountain. New York."

"We're in New York?!" A note of hysteria had reached her voice.

"My parents own this cabin. It's perfectly safe. I come here whenever I want to be alone."

"Alone with a girl?" Emily asked knowingly.

Richard gave her a small smile. "Not until now. Would you like to go inside?"

The way he looked at her made Emily suddenly remember why she had agreed to come with him. She nodded. He got out of the car to open the door for her. It was dark and there was no one around. Emily impulsively grabbed the lapels of Richard's jacket and pulled him toward her, crashing her lips on his. He responded immediately, his large hands roaming her waist and back. He felt her tongue trace his bottom lip and he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. Richard dipped his hands down to the back of her thighs to lift her into his arms. He carried her to the door of the cabin, never breaking their fiery kiss for even a moment. Emily's fingers were tangled in his hair, keeping his face pressed to hers. Their mouths moved fervently and desperately against each other, as though the taste of the other was oxygen for their souls.

Eventually, however, they broke apart, gasping for air. Emily smiled, pushing Richard's disheveled hair back from his face. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her back was pressed up against the door. "Should we go inside?"

On the one hand, Richard didn't want to put her down. On the other, he did need to get the key from its hiding place under the loose floorboard of the porch. So he gently deposited her back on her feet. She stood back and tried to smooth back her hair as he got the key and opened the door.

As soon as they walked inside, they were back in each other's arms. Richard kicked the door closed behind him, and they stumbled toward the bedroom.

Emily's heart was racing, and not just because she was extremely turned on. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Even more, she couldn't believe she _wanted_ to do this. It was something of a comfort to know that after this weekend, she would never see Richard Gilmore ever again. And she didn't want to. They could have their fun together and then go back to their lives. He would continue to date anything in a skirt, and she would return to Smith where she kept a strict curfew of nine o'clock with all the respectable men she dated. She would get her degree in history and get married to someone from a good family with good prospects, and she would run a proper household and attend DAR functions and raise very well-bred children. This weekend with Richard Gilmore would just be a blip on the radar of her life, something to remind her when her days grew cold that once, just once, she had been brave and given in to the temptation of an attractive man who desired her.

Richard woke up to the rudeness of the sunshine streaming through the bedroom window. It took him a moment to orient himself. He was in the cabin. He blinked his eyes and stretched his arms. There was a stirring on his chest. Richard looked down to find Emily shifting her arm from where it was draped over his stomach. She moved it up to rest on his chest, just above his heart, beside her head. He gently stroked her hair and moved it away from her face. She smiled and hummed happily.

"Good morning," he whispered.

Emily groaned when she felt him sit up. She didn't want to go back to reality. Waking up would mean going back home. She wasn't ready to let him go yet.

Richard chuckled at her protest. He kissed the top of her head. "We need to get up, Emily."

"Why?" she asked, her eyes still closed tight.

"Because there isn't any food here, and you don't have any clothes."

Emily finally opened her eyes and sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover her naked body. "Do I really need clothes?"

"Well, that depends. I could take you back home now, and we can get something to eat on the way, and you can just wear that beautiful blue dress, or we could get dressed in the same clothes and go into town where we can buy you some new clothes and some groceries, and I'll take you home tomorrow. It's up to you."

It was hard for Emily to hide her delight. "I'd like to stay for another day, if that's alright."

"I'm glad. I don't want to leave yet either." Richard leaned forward and kissed her. "Would you like to take a shower before we go out?" She nodded. "Very well. The bathroom is in there. Hopefully everything you need is in there. If not, just shout. I'll get dressed and figure out what all we have here."

Emily scurried into the bathroom to find fluffy towels, shampoo and conditioner, fresh-scented soap, and a shower with surprisingly good water pressure. As she washed her hair, her mind wandered to what they had done the night before. She had never felt so alive and beautiful and happy. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would do something like this. And it was wonderful.

Richard dressed quickly and went around the cabin, picking up after their wild night. He had to search for quite a while to find every article of clothing. He folded Emily's things and left them on the bed after he made it.

Emily came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel to find her things neatly placed at the end of the well-made bed. She smiled. Richard Gilmore was certainly different than she had expected. But then again, there was a reason that so many girls went out with him. He was charming and well-mannered and extremely attractive. And, as Emily now knew, very good in bed. She got dressed and went out to the kitchen to find him.

"I'm sorry my hair is wet, but I didn't think you'd have a hair dryer."

"We can get you one in town, if you'd like."

She smiled. "No, that's quite alright. I'll be fine. It should dry soon."

He walked over to her and took her face in his hands. "You look very beautiful all wet and clean."

Emily's heart beat faster. She had the feeling that if they didn't leave now, they never would. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry."

Richard nodded and grabbed his keys and wallet. "Let's go."

They drove about a half hour away to a small town. Richard gave Emily a hundred dollars out of his wallet and left her in a ladies clothing store. He told her to get whatever she wanted, and he'd come back after he picked up the groceries. She browsed the shop. The clothes they sold were very simple and not quite her style, but they had the essentials she'd need for the next day or so until Richard took her home. She bought a white dress to wear for the rest of the day, seeing as her blue dress wasn't very appropriate for the middle of the day. She felt much more comfortable when she paid for the dress and changed into it.

Richard returned to find her looking extremely pretty and proper in a white dress with a scoop neckline, cap sleeves, and a circle hem at her knees. He was struck by the realization that she looked like someone he would be proud to be seen with, but he still desired her, no matter how she looked. He had never felt both ways about any woman he had dated. Not even Pennilyn. He was proud to be seen with Lynnie, but he only found her desirable when they were alone together. Here, with Emily, he honestly wasn't sure if he would rather take her to a party to show her off, or take her back to his bedroom. Not even in his wildest dreams did he think he would ever feel that way about any woman.

"Do you like the dress?" Emily asked, after Richard had been staring at her for a few seconds.

"I like it very much," he replied with a smile. "Would you like to go down the street for brunch? The market is holding the groceries for me until we're finished."

"That sounds lovely, thank you."

Richard carried the shopping bag for her and took her arm to lead her to the restaurant. All through their meal, they talked. Unlike their long drive the night before, there was no nervous silence, no awkward tension of anticipation. They discussed history and literature, arguing over themes in Tolstoy and the way President Johnson was handling the conflict in Vietnam. Emily loved that Richard didn't patronize her. He disagreed with her on a few points, but he argued against her instead of belittling her opinions. It was very refreshing. And Richard couldn't stop contracting her. He agreed with her on most of the things she said, but every time he expressing a contrary view, her eyes flashed and her whole demeanor grew more animated. She was extremely attractive when she was agitated. And she was brilliant. He had never had such a varied and in-depth discussion with a woman before. He was almost disappointed when their food came and they had to pause the conversation in order to eat.

They returned to the cabin later that afternoon, after walking through town hand in hand. Emily wasn't quite sure what Richard was doing, seeing as how they hadn't even known each other for twenty-four hours, and she had predicted that going to the woods with a man would consist of never leaving a bedroom. But whatever this had turned into, she was enjoying it. And she would continue to enjoy it until it was over. Nothing lasts forever, but Emily would treasure the sweetness of the memory.

Richard went to take a shower after they returned to the cabin. Emily put away the groceries to the best of her abilities in an unfamiliar kitchen. But she found the things she needed to begin fixing a simple dinner for them. They had agreed on spaghetti and meatballs, so she needed to start the sauce; it would take a while to cook. Once everything was chopped and in the pot to simmer, she went outside. The sun was dipping low in the sky.

After he got dressed, Richard went to find Emily. He found her on the porch of the cabin, staring at the sunset. He came over and put his arm around her waist. They stood there together in silence.

Emily was the first one to speak. She turned her head to look up at Richard. "This has been a wonderful day. Thank you."

"It has, hasn't it?" he replied with a smile.

Their eyes locked and Emily felt something in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what. But the oddest sensation came over her. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want this to end. Of course, she knew that it had to, and she knew she'd get over it. But at that moment, she didn't want to.

Richard saw something change in her expression. He cleared his throat and broke their eye contact. "We should check on dinner."

"Yes, you're quite right." Emily extricated herself from his grasp and went back inside.

Emily pushed her worries out of her mind while they finished cooking and sat down to eat together. Their lively debates from earlier returned just as naturally as before.

Later that night, their lovemaking was different than it had been the night before. Their desperation was different. They knew each other's bodies well now. Their limbs tangled together. Richard's hands clutched at Emily's hair and her fingernails clawed at his back. And the whole times, their eyes were locked together. When Richard finally collapsed from exhaustion, completely spent, Emily held him in her arms until they both got their breath back and had enough energy to move.

"Richard?" Emily said quietly as her fingers moved up and down his chest.

"Yes?" his hands had found their way back to her hair, now that she was resting in his arms.

"Say you'll remember me."

"What do you mean?"

She snuggled closer to him. It felt so good to be close to him. "Tomorrow, when you drive me home and drop me off and we have our last kiss goodbye, say you'll remember me. I know we'll probably never meet after this, but I hope memories of this weekend will follow you back to Connecticut. Say you'll see me again, even if it's just pretend."

Richard didn't know what to say. He held her tight. She believed that this weekend was a one-time thing. And, he supposed, when they had started, that's all it was supposed to be. But how could he ever let her go now? How could he go back to his life before her? God, how could he go back to Lynnie? No, Richard knew he couldn't let Emily Ashford leave him forever, not when it was getting so good. In his wildest dreams, he'd remember the way she looked in that blue dress when he first saw her at the party. He would always remember her standing in that white dress at sunset, and he'd remember the way she lit up when they argued, and he'd remember the way their bodies tangled together all night.

He felt her breathing change and he knew she had fallen asleep. He would drive her back to Smith tomorrow, yes, but he would be back. Because in his wildest dreams, he hadn't ever imagined he could fall in love so quickly with the most perfect woman in the world.


End file.
